There was tension in Osogbo, Osun State, on Monday after operators of the Global Food Initiative reportedly failed to return to their office, leaving residents who had paid large sums for subsidised food items stranded.
The development attracted a crowd to the organisation’s office in the Odi-Olowo area of Osogbo, as customers who had made advance payments gathered in the hope of collecting the items they had purchased.
A resident identified as Mistura told PUNCH Online that she paid N300,000 into the scheme last Wednesday for 11 bags of rice.
According to her, the rice was sold by the initiative at N27,000 per bag, while the same quantity would currently cost about N605,000 if purchased at the prevailing market price of N55,000 per bag.
She explained that customers were usually expected to receive their goods one week after making payment.
Another investor, Olamide, said she paid N1.2m for different food items meant for her stepdaughter’s forthcoming wedding.
She said the money was transferred last Monday into a designated account, 5287459667, bearing the name Global Food Initiative and domiciled with an online microfinance bank.
“I got here this morning and met a crowd waiting to be attended to. But the operators were nowhere to be found. I was warned, but I never thought they would run away this early. The items I paid for were to be used for the wedding ceremony of my stepdaughter.
“Before I paid the last sum of N1.2m into the scheme last Monday, I had earlier collected two gallons of five litres of groundnut oil from the operators. I paid N30,000 for each. But it costs far more in the market. I am in a serious mess here,” she said.
Another investor, who spoke anonymously, said the initiative started operating in the area more than three weeks ago.
She claimed that the operators had informed customers that the scheme would remain in operation for six months.
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According to her, however, the situation changed after a presenter on a private radio station in Osogbo reportedly warned residents about the scheme on Sunday.
She said the warning triggered panic among customers, leading to a large crowd gathering at the organisation’s office on Monday to demand their goods.
“The operators actually reported here (their office) on Monday, but when they saw the agitated crowd, they ran away. A radio presenter on a private radio station in Osogbo on Sunday caused panic when he warned the residents against the scheme.
“The agitated crowd that stormed this place early today (Monday) forced the operators to run away. A woman deposited N35m for various food items, another man showed us a receipt of N10m. Some hoodlums had attempted to break into the storeroom of the operators, but police personnel were deployed to stop them. We are still waiting for the operators to come back and resume operations,” she said.
The situation also attracted the attention of the police, who deployed officers to the location to prevent a breakdown of law and order.
The Osun State Police Command Public Relations Officer, Abiodun Ojelabi, confirmed the deployment while speaking on the development.
Ojelabi said the police had yet to receive a formal complaint from any of the affected residents but disclosed that officers at the scene had begun gathering information about the operation.
“There has not been any report by those affected, but to avoid a breakdown of law and order, police officers have moved to the scene.
“It was there that we began to identify that a company identified as Global Food Initiative has been collecting people’s money, promising to subsidise food items while they pay in advance. We are still waiting for somebody to come and give us detailed information about the issue. We are monitoring the situation.”